Lifting my gaze, I met his. “I don’t want to think.”
Jax didn’t question or comment on this. There was a flare of something hot and heady in his eyes, and then he dipped his mouth to mine, and he kissed me sweetly-the kind of kiss that went beyond the heavy and sensual ones. It meant something, and I seemed to open up to it, really feeling it, believing in it.
And that was pretty damn spectacular.

Okay, so, I’ve gotten super picky lately…I mean super picky. A year ago, this would have been hands down 5 stars and no other book could touch it. But I have kind of fallen out of J. Armentrout’s spell, and that makes me sad…but it also helps to not be in a haze and to be able to see what works for me with my formerly favorite author and what doesn’t. A lot of people will disagree with me, but, and this is a large but…I think Armentrout shines in the paranormal romance genre. I think she produces her best work there. And that’s not to say that her NA books aren’t good, they are. But, when reading her NA vs. her Paranormal YA, I just connect way more and feel more passion from her Lux and Dark Elements and Covenants series. The things that bother me with her writing tend to prickle me less when it’s in a paranormal setting as opposed to her NA worlds.

“What does it taste like?” I resisted.
“Grits.”
I lowered my fork, looking at him blandly. “Details.”
He laughed as he cut through what looked like ten pancakes stacked. “One cannot simply describe grits. One must simply enjoy them.”
My eyes rolled, but I scooped up a small taste, made sure I had cheese in it, and gingerly tasted them. The whole time Jax watched and waited. I swallowed, unsure of what to think. I tried a little more.
“So?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” I shoved a mouthful in. “I haven’t decided yet. I think they taste good, but they’re called grits; therefore I’m not sure I can freely admit to liking something called grits. I have to really think about this.”
Jax laughed. “Cute.”

I think it has to do with the subject matter. Her Wait for You books tend to lean on the heavier side with humor laced throughout, but I think the inner dialogue doesn’t quite…go, whereas for her paranormal books they aren’t normally quite so gravid. So when she wants to throw in a funny saying during an epic battle, you aren’t quite so focused on it-you’re waiting for the next blow as opposed to the next emotional twist or turn. Those happen too, in her para, but not near as heavily as these NAs.

“You’re not going to be a message. You aren’t going to be shit to any of them. You feel me? No one is touching you,” he said, and he said it right in front of Nick. He touched me right in front of Nick, touched my scar. “We’re going to take care of this and none of this shit is going to rub off on you. Okay?”

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy this book, because I did. No, it wasn’t my favorite work of hers, but it still had an amazing male lead and a fun cast surrounding her. Can we just take a minute to acknowledge that J. Armentrout creates literally the best male leads?? If there is one thing I can always count on, it’s her ability to create guys that make my knees weak. I do have to admit he was my favorite part of this whole story. Jax was sexy, protective, swoony, sweet, determined, and passionate about his goals. <<< Hey, I think we forget about those goal oriented fellas these days….it’s still an admirable trait!!! I loved how he respected her and protected her even when she was trying to be stubborn and refused his help. I’m in love with guys that are overly protective without being annoying, so of course he was a total win for me.

I sucked in a sharp breath that hurt. He’d done this before, too, and it created the same maelstrom of emotion in me, but he did more this time. His lips followed that scar all the way down my cheek, right to the corner of my left lip, and then he kissed me. It was soft and sweet and it lingered. My hands went to his chest and I leaned into him.
When he lifted his mouth from mine and pressed his forehead against mine, tears had built in the back of my throat. “I don’t care about it, Calla. I don’t even think about it,” he said. “I don’t even see it.”

Ack, okay, my biggest complaint-I don’t like when authors build up to something epic….and then it just…isn’t. Like, why build it up at all??? Maybe I am a tad masochistic and do tend to like the dramatic, crazy endings of dystopian or sci-fi or paranormal better, but they are fifty times more satisfying than a boring and almost unrealistic talk-it-out ending…okay….hmmm….Maybe I’m getting my reality mixed up lol. I think I’ve been spending too much time in my fantasy world, but, eh, I still would like something crazy to happen at the end if it’s built up that way.

Jax’s chuckle brushed the back of my neck as he pulled me back tighter against him so that there was no space between us at all. “You still with me?”
“I’m still with you.”

So, that’s my spiel. I liked it, didn’t love. There was a certain point where I fell in love with it, but five minutes later I was lukewarm again. I was very up and down with my likes and loves for this’n. I feel so very fickle, but all in all I think that rating above accurately portrays my feelings throughout the entirety of the novel. A strong male lead and a fun atmosphere (the other favorite part of the story for me I didn’t mention), this story had a lot going for it. For those of you who are familiar with J. Armentrout and adore her writing, you’ll fall for this one as well. As for me, I do wish she could change up her sayings a bit….but, overall a really fun story that most will enjoy.

Reading Order & Links:Amazon(click on covers),iBooks(click on titles) & Book Depository(click on book #)***Each book can be read as a standalone, but best enjoyed in order.***

2 Comments

Same here! I love her books when she writes as Armentrout but I don’t like them nearly as much (ahem at all) when she writes as Lynn. There is such a huge difference. Maybe they are two different persons after all :)?

Lol!!! Hmmmmm, maybe?? I just feel like she goes so hardcore with her paranormal stories (Which I love) and shies away from it when it comes to NA…it’s so odd and makes me so sad!!! These could be so epic!

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